Ladytron - 17 June 2008, Chicago

Anyone in attendance would have easily thought it was a Saturday night instead of a Tuesday as they gazed into the eyes of starlets Helen Marnie and Mira Aroyo.

In the crowded Vic Theater, packed with people dressed for the occasion in all sorts of mod, emo, and punk attire (sometimes elements of all three!), the four members of Ladytron emerged on stage adorned by alternating strobes. The two male members of the band, Liverpool natives Daniel Hunt and Reuben Wu, stayed back, immersed in total darkness, while Mira and Helen took to the front in matching silky black attire. Much like a microcosm of their music, many of their effects remained concealed mysteriously in the back. Up front, Korg keyboards were de rigueur, and the alternating vocals of Helen and Mira sailed over the instrumental onslaught. At times, their chords assaulted the cheering crowd; at other times they drifted across in waves. Each strobe cast a mixture of intense bright light and shadows across the pair of female singers, the harshness matching the onslaught of sound that often emerged from the stage.

Ladytron are currently on tour to support their recently released fourth studio album Velocifero. Like their past albums, it is packed with synth-pop goodies that mix a dreamy sensibility with the compulsion to dance. “Ghosts” and “Runaway” came off particularly well, with a lushness expected of this electropop quartet. They mixed these new songs with old favorites, such as “Playgirl” and “Seventeen”. Though there was minimal stage banter, Ladytron did seem appreciative of their audience who basked in the glory of the music.